Maine

August 29, 2025

Crossing the Bay of Fundy

Our crossing back to the East Coast required a 105 mile open water run from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to St. Andrews, New Brunswick.  The path was straight across the mouth of the Bay of Fundy where it meets the Gulf of Maine.  These are notoriously rough waters with a reputation for some of the stronger currents in the world.  The tide changes in the Bay can reach 22 feet or more.

We picked well on the weather window only encountering an odd rough patch in the middle.  My assumption is that the currents were somehow colliding to create a 15ish mile stretch of hell.  The Shorebilly ran through it just fine; uncomfortable ... but fine.  Our buddy boat, Faith, was trailing behind us and said "We leaned so far over that we didn't think it was going to come back.  Scared the bejeasus out of us." 

But the crossing wasn't without it's rewards.  More WHALES!   The boat I mentioned above, Faith, was able to capture this video.  I have only ever seen this on a NatGeo documentary.  I believe it is a mom calling her young (but not really sure).

But trust me, our crossing wasn't devoid of entertainment.  This kind gent decided to put on a show for us.  He must have breached 1/2 dozen times.

Before I get completely off of Nova Scotia,  here is a screen print of four looper boats leaving Shelburne NS for Yarmouth.  Terri and I got up early and helped all the other boats off the dock.  We then had breakfast and walked Yudee and explored the town a little.  Even through they had a 1 - 2 hour head start, you can see how quickly we pulled to the front of the pack.  The screenshot was taken by the boat at the back of the pack (Unsubscribed).  That is why he is blue with a route trail behind him.

St. Andrews, New Brunswick Canada

Our decision was to stay in Canada for a few extra days and St. Andrews appeared to be the spot.  In truth, it was an outstanding town and the mooring ball we were on was just fine.  But the weather forecast revealed that staying more than one day would likely require we stayed 7 - 10 days so we cut our visit short.  That said, it was a very nice town.

The boat on shore is the same one in the water 4 hours later.  The captain simply parked his boat and waited for the tide to go out.  This allowed him to cut a rope free from his propeller.  When the tide came back ... the boat drove away.  The term for this is simply called "grounding".

Winter Harbor Maine

The back story:  This might surprise many of you, but I was not an easy child to raise.  As a matter of fact, I created so much havoc in my youth that I was sent away the summer after 7th grade only to return on holidays and summer breaks for the remainder of my youth.  

The first place I was sent was to the Winter Harbor Reading School in the summer of 1973.  It was actually a great summer and I even developed a passion for reading.  For my entire life I wanted to return to Winter Harbor but the opportunity never presented itself until now.

The Return

I would be lying if I said it wasn't an emotion filled return.  This place was the start of a life changing experience for me.  We found the old building and it was in impeccable shape.  The lawn where we played wiffleball day after day was in perfect shape as well.  No one was home so I knocked on a neighbor's door asking if he had the owner's number.  I wanted permission to walk the grounds.  He said: "No problem, I can even let you in!".   I got to see my old bedroom, reading room and more.  Way cool.

The Yacht Club where I learned to water-ski was in perfect condition as well.  We stayed on a mooring ball and enjoyed all the services.  It was really fun.

But perhaps the most remarkable part of the stop was this woman here.  I told a few of the club members that I was here in 1973 attending the Reading School and they connected me to Margaret Bennett, the daughter of the school's owner.  We had a wonderful cup of coffee discussing her parents.

In the way of "small world", it turns out that the reading school is now owned by friends of fellow loopers we spent time with on that trip.  All in all, Winter Harbor proved to be a fantastic stop.  We loved the town itself, the food and the people.  Most of all, it allowed me to connect with an important piece of my past.  

We are now bouncing from one cool place to another.  Sometimes it is a great anchorage and other times it is a cute town.  Since Winter Harbor we have been to Squid Cove (anchor), Somes Harbor (anchor), Northeast Harbor (marina), Castine (lunch stop) and Belfast (town dock).  We hiked Schoodic point in Arcadia National Park and Jordan Pond.  The LL Bean free bus called "Island Explorer" took us places at no cost.  It has been great!

Belfast is proving to be a noteworthy stop being a perfect blend of cool and quaint without the massive dose of summer tourist.

Looking Forward

We only have a few more stops in Maine as we move down the coast.  From here it will be New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and then Maryland on the Chesapeake.  If the weather holds, we will be back on our dock in Virginia the first week in October.

Take and care and with love,

Aubrey and Terri